1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to portable article hangers which may be folded or otherwise collapsed when not in use, and, more especially, to garment hangers having such features. The present invention is particularly adapted for supporting wet garments during drying thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of portable article hangers, particularly garment hangers, are well known in the art. These hangers commonly are collapsible for ease of storage and may be erected in stable configuration when desired for their intended use. One such device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 121,722, to Keene, which discloses a clothes dryer comprised of a plurality of tubular members held in spatial arrangement and adapted for suspension from a ceiling or wall bracket. Spreader members are employed for stability of the apparatus during use, and are arranged in such a fashion to permit the dryer to be collapsed for storage.
Another conceptually similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,033,566 to Eschelbacher. This device is designed as a planar array of support elements fastened within a frame member. The hanger is attached, preferably, to a window frame exteriorally of a building. At the point of attachment, hinge-like members are provided in order that the device may be maintained in a substantially vertical plane when not in use, and thence moved to a stable horizontal plane when it is desired to, e.g., dry clothing.
A more common garment hanger is typified by the U.S. Pat. No. 2,271,941 to Kemmitt, which is particularly adapted for use in, for example, a closet to thereby increase the available area for hanging clothing or the like. The Kemmitt device again is comprised of a collapsible planar array of support elements which are suspended by a hook or inverted U-shaped member from a pole or the like within the closet. For storage, it is possible to orient the support elements within a vertical plane to conserve space, and then to rotate those elements to a substantially horizontal plane for supporting articles placed thereon.
Another conventional device employed as an article hanger is typified by Van Der Togt, U.S. Pat. No. 2,956,689, which discloses a structure consisting of a first, fixed article support unit and a second, cantilevered unit pivotally attached thereto. The device is attached to, e.g., a door for stability during use, but may be folded for storage.
These known devices suffer numerous deficiencies. For example, those freely suspended from a horizontal support member lack, to a significant degree, horizontal stability when articles are placed thereon. Thus, the user must carefully balance the clothing or other articles placed on the hanger to avoid an unbalanced condition, which would obviously diminish the desirability of its utilization. In order to provide enhanced stability, on the other hand, certain devices are required to be securely anchored or affixed in a permanent fashion, again diminishing utility by elimination of the portable feature many consumers desire. Compare, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,780,365 to Trainor with Eschelbacher, supra.
Significantly, also, the prior art devices are restricted in terms of the quantity of garments which may be supported thereon. Because it is a desirable feature that these devices be compact for storage, the available space for hanging garments is minimized; no provisions being made to provide a device capable of compact portability and yet providing a rather large and stable support unit. While the hanger disclosed by Van Der Togt partially accommodates such desires, the absolute necessity of attaching the device to an auxillary support for stability diminishes its utility.
Accordingly, the need exists to provide a compact portable article hanger exhibiting greater article hanging capabilities than heretofore provided by similar prior art devices. Also, the need exists to provide such an article hanging device which is freely suspendable from a horizontal support, and which allows for adjustment of the center of gravity to provide enhanced stabilization of the device.